Clasp.



PATENTED OUT. 29. 1901' F. FREIMAN & A. STEVENSON.

CLASP. APPLICATION FILED APBUH. 1907. v

[NVENTORS Mwnam v UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1907.

Application filed April 8. 1907- Serial No. 367.029-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FERDINAND FREIMAN and ANDREW STEVENSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clasps, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention pertains to clasps, and it consists in the peculiar and advantageous clasp, herein described and claimed, designed more particularly for use in a supporter through the medium of which the several parts of a ladys skirt may be neatly suspended from the waist in such manner that there is no liability of injuring the skirt even when the latter is made of very delicate textile.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a broken e evation of the skirt supporter showing the inner side of the same2'. (a, the side that is presented to the body. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the c asps of the supporter. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through one of the clasps and the tab by which the same is carried and showing the clasp as closed and idle. Fig 4 is an elevation of the inner side of the body of one of the clasps.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

As shown in Fig. 1, the skirt supporter is made up of a belt A designed to be fastened about the waist through the medium of complementary buckle members B and C or other suitable means, four (more or less) tabs D permanently attached to and depending from the belt A at suitable intervals in the length of the latter, and our novel clasps E carried by and depending from the tabs D.

The belt A and tabs D may be made of any material consonant with the purpose of our invention without involving departure from the scope of the invention as claimed, though we prefer to form the said parts of elastic webbing, this in order to assure a skirt being yieldingly suspended from the waist in such manner as to subject the wearer to no discomfort.

The novel clasps E of the supporter are identical in construction, and for this reason a detailed description of the clasp shown in Figs. 2 and 3 will suffice to impart a definite .understanding of all. The said clasp, Figs. 2 and 3, comprises a body a formed of sheetmetal and having a loop b at its upper end for connection to one of the tabs D, and also having lateral lugs 0 arranged at an intermediate point in its height and directed outward from its side edges, a clasping member cl having lateral ugs e lapped with those of the body a, a pintle f extending through the lugs c and e and pivotally connecting the member d to the body a, a spring 9 coiled about the pintle f and having upwardly directed arms bearing. against the upper portions of the member (1 and body a, respectively, and

pads M carried .by the lower portions of the body a and member (1 and opposed to each other, as best shown in Fig. 3. The said pads M are preferably made of rubber and are provided on their faces with cross corrugations, as best shown in Fig. 4, this in order to enable them to better engage silk and other thin fabrics Without injury to the latter.

As clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the edges of the pads M or at least the lower and side edges thereof are rabbeted as indicated by h, and the pads are connected to the body a and member (Z, respectively, through the medium of lower end flanges i and side flanges j; the

said flanges being formed integral with the body a and member d; and being tightly bent against the reduced portions of the pads afforded by the rabbets h. It will thus be seen that the pads M are strongly connected to the body a and clasping member d without the employment of any extraneous means whatsoever, and that the faces of the pads M project beyond the flanges i and 9' so that when the clasp is put in use the pads M alone engage the material of the skirt.

From this it follows that the connection of the clasp to a skirt does not entail any injury whatever to the latter, and yet the connection is a positive one calculated to preclude casual release of the skirt, and one which may be easily and expeditiously effected.

It will also be apparent that the clasp may be as readily disconnected from the skirt at the will of the party using the supporter.

In the practical use of the supporter embodying clasps constructed in accordance with our invention, the belt A is fastened about the waist so that the tabs D depend from the belt and are grouped about the body of the wearer, and so that the bodies a of the several clasps are next to the body of the wearer. With the parts thus arranged it will be seen that the clasps may be readily engaged with different parts of the skirt to neatly suspend the same from the waist, and it will also be seen that the compact Clasps and the other parts of the supporter rest so close to the body of the wearer that there is no liabilty of the supporter rendering the apparel unsightly in appearance. It will be noticed that in order to engage each clasp with a portion of the skirt, the operator has but to press the upper portion of the clasping member d toward the member a and then interpose a portion of the skirt between the pads after the manner shown in Fig. 3, while to disconnect each clasp the operator has but to press the upper portion of the member d toward the body a and then draw the clasp upward out of engagement with the skirt. When the clasp is moved endwise as described into and out of engagement with a portion of a skirt, it will be seen that the projection of the faces of the pads M beyond the pad-holding flanges i and j will preclude tearing or other injury of the skirt.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the pad M of the body a is provided With a teat or protuberance a and the body a is provided with a swell a back of said teat or protuberance, While the member d is provided in its pad M and metallic portion with a depression a to receive the teat a It is obvious from the foregoing that the Clasps are adapted to take secure hold of a skirt, and this without injury to the skirt even When the latter is made of delicate fabric.

Having described our invention, What We claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

As an article of manufacture, a clasp for the purpose described, comprising a plate having" integral inwardly turned flanges at one end and at its side edges adjacent to said end and also having a swell, a pad rabbeted at one end and at its side edges and having the reduced portions thereby secured in the flanges and also having its face projected beyond the flanges and opposed to the face of the first mentioned pad and provided with a depression to receive the protuberance thereof.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FERDINAND FREIMAN. ANDREW STEVENSON.

Witnesses H.v W. CARR, FERRY SMITH. 

